Creamy, Bitter, Smooth
by Gray Voice
Summary: A new city, a new job... Changes don't always come easy for Miku. But a helping hand and a few cups of cappuccino are more than enough to help her along the way - even if the taste takes a little getting used to. Miku/Luka, shameless fluff.


The crystalline jingle of a bell fluttered through the air from the top of the doorframe as the entrance to the shop swung open. Miku almost glanced up at it a she stepped inside – people still used these things? It seemed a little too behind the times for most any store nowadays, except for maybe one of those mom-and-pop groceries that were actually trying to seem as if they were from fifty or sixty years ago. It certainly didn't seem to fit with coffee or the culture around the beverage, in any case. Although, she wasn't entirely sure what she should have expected from a place with a name as off as "Le Thon Argent." Miku didn't speak a lick of French, or whatever language it was, but it didn't sound much like a run-of-the-mill caffeine dispensary to her. Not that she was much of a frequenter of such establishments, or that she had much reason to find one now: really, she could have wandered into any of the buildings along the street for all she needed right now, but for whatever reason this one in particular caught her eye, it had pulled her in with the rainbow of Christmas lights that lined its giant front window that were lit even during this August afternoon. So really, for Miku's purposes, it didn't matter all that much what exactly the outside did or didn't remind her of.

The inside of the shop, though, that definitely made Miku think of coffee, if only because of the thick odor of the stuff that wafted throughout. The place was small, barely big enough for the six or seven tables that were scattered about inside, but it felt soft and intimate, not restrictive in the least. The mellow organs from a Doors song swam alongside the smells of roasted espresso, not really paying their only spectator any mind.

Miku felt a pair of eyes on her, and she realized it was quite silly of her to think she was the only person there. She half-turned to the register near the door, where a woman was leaning over the counter and staring at her with a soft smile on her lips. Lips that were about the same color of her hair. Her long, flowing, absolutely gorgeous hair.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, snapping Miku out of her hair-induced trance.

"Oh, uh, yes!" Miku answered. The voice was lovely too, soft and ever-so-slightly subdued, resonant and strong like its owner's tall, slim figure. Miku made herself stop thinking about it – this wasn't a normal habit of hers, this fixating on random women she saw in shops, and she didn't really care to start it now. Or at least, not when the woman in question was right in front of her, expecting her to act like a normal human being.

"I'm a little lost," Miku continued. "Could you tell me where Luther Street is, please?"

"Just a few blocks north," the woman replied. "You can't miss it, it's got this huge run-down apartment complex right at the corner."

"Ah." Miku frowned. "Er, that complex... it wouldn't happen to be Sparrowing Towers, would it?"

"Yes, that's it. I don't suppose that's where you're headed?"

"It is, actually," Miku chuckled. "See, I'm just moving in there from another city a few miles off, and, well, I got a little lost, so I ended up here, and..." She shrugged and gave a soft, nervous laugh. "Well, here we are, I guess."

"I see," the pink-haired woman said. "Were you just driving here, or...?"

"No, I flew," Miku answered. "But, see, I took a taxi for most of the way here, except I only had enough on me for half of the way or so to the actual apartment, and then I got a little unsure of where I was going, so yeah." She laughed again. "I'm sorry, I'm just rambling, is all."

"No, it's all right," the woman at the counter said, smiling. "Say, would you like a cup of something before you go?"

"But, I just said I don't have any money left–"

"Don't worry about it," she said, giving a dismissive wave of her hand. "We'll call it a welcoming gift, all right?"

She winked, and Miku swore she felt her heart run double tempo. The Doors weren't doing much to alleviate the awkwardness of the sudden gap in conversation; Miku decided to let her racing thoughts take over awhile.

"Well, I have a few minutes, maybe half an hour or so, before the movers are supposed to come by anyway, and I'm not sure how long the walk really is but if it's just a few blocks maybe it won't take all that long, and it won't be much fun just sitting in an empty apartment by myself waiting for the furniture to come, so I guess if you're really so nice as to–"

"Sweetie," the woman cut in, "what would you like?"

The term of endearment didn't do much to slow Miku's pulse, but she decided to calm herself as best she could anyway.

"Er, just a cappuccino, please." She frowned. "That's not too bitter, is it? Sorry, I don't drink coffee all that often."

"Well, sure, the milk offsets that considerably," the woman explained, "but if you haven't had a lot of coffee, it's still going to have a bit of bitterness to it." She thought a moment. "How about I make that a mocha? If the coffee has some chocolate, too, it'll have a bit more sweetness."

"Then, I guess I'll have that, sure," Miku said.

"Sure thing!" the woman chirped, smiling wider. She grabbed a white mug from under the counter and set it behind a steel behemoth of a machine, sliding it along periodically, with the machine itself letting out a burst of steam as she pulled levers blocked off from Miku's view. Finally, she set a mug of frothing auburn liquid on the counter, topped with a healthy dollop of cream, and squeezed out a drizzle of chocolate syrup from a plastic bottle atop the beverage in a little finishing flourish.

"Enjoy!" she said, still grinning widely.

Miku nodded in thanks and took the mug in both hands, walking over to a nearby table. She sat and slowly brought the liquid to her mouth. It was definitely bitter, but not nearly as much as she'd expected: it was more of a sharpness that spread along her tongue like a forest fire. But there was also hint of sweetness in it that twinkled in countless valleys along the espresso's plains, with roads of dark chocolate leading the way along those snappy, tingling fields. It was smooth and creamy, every drop that ran inside her mouth rich, thick and even satisfying.

Also, it was hot. Scalding hot. Hurt-to-touch-the-roof-of-her-mouth hot.

She set the mug down on the table, recovering a little from the warmth. This would probably take her a while to drink, and she hadn't taken the thing to go, either. She looked around, seeking another way to occupy herself. The walls were lined with abstract paintings, hiding the wooden finish with colorful blotches and lines. Miku wished she'd brought along something to read. That was something people did, right? Read at coffee shops? It could work, Miku thought. The atmosphere lent itself to that sort of thing.

The woman at the counter caught her eye again. She was still leaning over it slightly, staring off absentmindedly. Miku sighed. People sometimes made friendlier companions than books, she found. Sometimes. In any case, maybe this one would be worth a try. She wasn't doing much anyway.

"So, do you run this place by yourself?" Miku asked her.

"Nope," the woman replied. "I've got a partner in the back. She makes the baked goods and helps at the counter when things get busy." She laughed. "So, not really all that often."

"I see," Miku said, laughing a little in turn. The Stones had replaced The Doors, but they weren't doing much to ease the absence of conversation, either.

"Say, I didn't catch your name before," the woman spoke up.

Miku quickly set her mug down, scalding the back of her throat from swallowing her cappuccino too quickly. "Oh!" she cried. "Miku. It's Miku. Nice to meet you, uh..."

The woman blinked, then gestured at the name tag on her shirt. Right above her chest. Her very ample chest.

Miku shook off the thoughts and squinted at the letters.

"Luka," she said, reading them out loud. She rubbed the back of her head, grinning like an idiot. A nervous idiot. "Yeah, I guess I probably should've known that, huh?"

"It's all right," Luka chuckled. "Nice to meet you, too." She leaned a little further over the counter. "So, what's a girl like you doing in the big city, Miku?"

"Just office work," Miku replied. "Or, it will be for a while. Just until I can find a publisher or a magazine or something that'll take me on."

"Are you a writer, then? I hear that's a tricky business."

"No, an editor, thankfully," Miku chuckled. "I never liked trying to put my own work out there. Too much competition, too much criticism – it's a lot easier on me if I'm the one making all the cuts, I think."

"Well, maybe you should take it up again sometime," Luka said. "You never know. Might be worth another shot."

Miku took another sip, letting the warm liquid linger in her mouth as she thought over the advice. "Maybe I could. I don't know."

Luka gave a small shrug. "Whatever works for you, then. Just remember that you'll never know how things will work out unless you try."

"Right," Miku said, chuckling, almost rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I've heard that once or twice."

"Oh, have you?" Luka replied, grinning. "Well, that's too bad. If there's one thing I strive for, it's originality."

"Yeah, I can tell." Miku glanced at her surroundings again. "I mean, what did you call this place again? 'Le Thon Argent?'"

Luka gasped loudly in apparent hurt. "What, you don't like it?"

"Uh," Miku quickly said. "Well, I didn't say that..."

The woman stuck one hand on her hip and dramatically threw the other over her forehead. "Oh, all those days of planning, all that money ordering a signboard, all those hours learning Russian, all of it gone to waste!"

"Wait, that was _Russian_?" Miku asked, shocked.

"I'm just kidding, sweetie," Luka said, grinning again.

"Ah," Miku said. The endearment again. It sounded so much sweeter coming from the other woman. Miku took another long sip. She almost let herself believe the warmth in her cheeks was because of the coffee.

"So, I take it you're not planning on falling back on translation work, huh?" Luka asked, still smiling.

Miku laughed. "No, I was never very good with other languages. I guess I always thought it would be best for me to focus on this one, you know?"

"Well, that's fine too," Luka said. "The Universe needs more good editors, God knows."

"Vonnegut?"

Luka's smile turned surprised. "Right. How'd you know that?"

"Well, I mean, I _did_ study English..."

Luka chuckled. "All right, that makes sense."

"Yeah," Miku said, laughing a little in turn. "You have to read to know how to edit, you know."

"And how to write," Luka pointed out.

"Fair enough." Miku gulped down the last of her cappuccino and set the mug in front of her. "Thank you very much for the free coffee, Luka. I should probably go now – I don't want to keep the movers waiting too long."

"Take care," Luka said, giving a small wave alongside a brighter smile.

Miku hesitantly returned the wave as well as the smile, as best she could manage, and hurried out the door. She decided to hit an ATM as soon as the movers were done at her place.

* * *

The door at the front of the shop opened, sending the chime of the bell fluttering through the air again. Luka raised an eyebrow at the opener as she walked inside.

"Back so soon?" she asked. "And so early, even."

"Looks like it," Miku said with a small laugh. She went over the times Luka's words conjured up. About half a day. Eight o'clock. Sure, that was pretty soon. Maybe not all that early for a place that opened at seven, though.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but that free coffee the other day was a one-time deal," Luka said, smiling.

Miku laughed again. "I know, I know." She reached into her purse and pulled out a leather wallet, waving it triumphantly in the air. "I actually went to the bank the other day, so don't worry, I'm covered."

"Well, that's enough to make you welcome in my book," Luka said.

Miku smiled and ordered a cinnamon roll. Also, another mocha cappuccino. She might have only had one so far, but the taste was growing on her. The coffee came in another white mug and the roll arrived on a small blue plate.

"So, did that free cup win you over that easily?" Luka asked.

"I guess so," Miku replied. "Though, to be honest, I don't normally go out for breakfast much. I mean, I haven't done it a lot, before. Usually my budget's a little too tight for anything more than cereal."

"Sounds rough."

"But, see, today's my first day of work, and..." Miku let out a short, nervous laugh. "Well, I guess I'm feeling a little nervous."

"And you thought caffeine would help with that?"

Miku's head shot up, surprised. "You mean this was a bad idea?"

"Kidding again, sweetie," Luka laughed. "If you're going to keep coming here, you should probably get used to that."

"Oh." Miku took a long sip. The cappuccino was still a little bitter and still incredibly hot. Both were bothering her slightly less than before. "Sorry. I'm not that great at picking up on that sort of thing, I guess."

"Don't worry about it," Luka said dismissively. "So, first day of work, huh? You excited?"

Miku swallowed a bite of the cinnamon roll. "I guess you could say that. This is my first real job out of college, and, well, I'm not completely sure of how it'll go. I mean, I've had internships and all that, but here, if I mess up, it's a big deal, you know?"

Luka shrugged. "It might not be that big of a deal. New recruits are bound to make mistakes, and your employers know that. It's not like they're going to fire you for stapling some papers in the wrong order or something."

"I guess so," Miku conceded. "I think maybe I'm just worried about making a good impression, you know? My position's pretty replaceable, so it's not like I have a lot of room for error."

"Maybe," Luka said. "But, hey, they still hired _you_. As long as you live up to what you first showed them, they won't have any reason to be surprised."

"So, just be myself?"

"Exactly!" The woman chuckled. "You're going to say I'm being cliched again, aren't you?"

"No!" Miku quickly said. She took another sip. "Well, okay, maybe a little." She laughed. "But still, it helps. So, thanks."

"I'm just happy to help."

Miku laughed again. "Are you this friendly to all your customers?"

"Oh, just the ones who pay," Luka said slyly.

Her smile was blinding, but Miku couldn't take her eyes off it. She wished work could start tomorrow and her cappuccino would last all day. And she wouldn't even regret not bringing a book along this time. Probably. The Beatles were on now, but even they could only hold off potential awkwardness for so long.

The coffee finally ran out, and the blue plate held just a few crumbs of baked cinnamon. Miku checked her cell phone and hurriedly stood up, strapping her purse back over her shoulder.

"I should probably go now," she said as she made for the door. "Can't be late on the first day, right?"

"Good luck!" Luka called on her way out.

Miku stopped at the door a moment, smiling again. Just a glance of the other woman made her feel perseverant.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it was more about ambition than just whatever the witches made him think," Luka said with more enthusiasm than Miku had ever heard from her. "It's not like they cast a spell on Macbeth the first time they saw him, you know. The idea of power was already in his head, and they just gave him the final push over the edge."

Miku nodded in concession and took a sip of her cappuccino. She had actually brought a book today, but strangely enough, it had provoked conversation rather than served as a way to get by without it. It was a Faulkner, one of her favorites, but Luka had decided to talk about the text from which the title had been lifted rather than the novel itself. It occurred to Miku that perhaps Luka had never read it. Or maybe she just didn't want to spoil the rest of it. Either way, Miku didn't have the heart to change the topic back.

"Okay, fine. But that still doesn't change the fact that the witches are a vital part of the play. I mean, if you look at them from the context of when the show was written, you start to see them as a lot more powerful."

"Well in that sense, sure, they're sort of pulling the strings behind all the chaos, but all they were doing to Macbeth was exploiting his tragic flaw. He was ambitious, but he didn't know that yet. At least, I think that makes for a more interesting take on the character."

Miku shook her head. "I had no idea you were so passionate about this play."

"It's a classic, how could I not be? Ah, sorry, one moment, please." She turned to a young man who'd appeared at the counter and quickly served him a latte and a muffin. He payed her and sat in a corner with his laptop, next to a couple of girls huddled over a textbook and some scattered notebook paper.

"Busy, busy," Luka murmured, grinning. She turned back to Miku. "So, you still haven't told me how your first day of work went."

Miku looked up from her cappuccino, surprised. "You're still interested?"

"Are you kidding? After you didn't come in yesterday afternoon, I thought I'd never find out!"

"Sorry about that," Miku said. "I just thought I should limit how much coffee I get in one day. More than one of these things seems a little..." She shrugged slightly. "Well, you know."

"You're not honestly worried about your weight, are you?" Luka asked. "You've got a _great_ figure, sweetie."

Oh, the endearment came with a compliment this time. About how she looked, even. Miku swallowed the urge to return it with another mouthful of frothed milk.

"I just want to be careful, is all," Miku said. "But, I could get used to having one of these after work. As long as I stick to tea in the mornings, I think I should be fine. These things are just relaxing, somehow." A half-truth. They weren't the main tranquilizer she was making use of. Still, nothing to feel guilty about.

Luka smiled. "Well, I'm glad, then. Places like mine have to rely on regulars, you know? It's always nice to get a new one. Especially when they're so talkative." She leaned over the counter slightly. "Now come on, tell me about work."

"Nothing much happened, to be honest," Miku said. "I just got introduced to the rest of the staff, I got shown around, and did some paperwork. Oh, also I served the higher-ups some coffee at one point."

"So I guess you got a taste of what I do, then."

Miku frowned in thought. "Not really. The coffee there isn't any good."

Luka laughed, her voice like woodwinds. "Well, thank you!" She grinned a bit more brightly. "That means a lot, sweetie."

"Ah!" Miku took another quick gulp of the cappuccino. She didn't honestly think it would excuse the redness on her cheeks, but it was worth a try.

"You know, I've been curious about something else," Luka said. "You've actually written before, right? In college, I mean."

Miku set the mug down, her eyes wide. "Well, yes, but–"

"Do you think maybe I could see it sometime?" The woman was still smiling, but more genuinely now, the playfulness from before had all but disappeared. "Maybe I could give you some tips as to where to go with it. Then if you actually get in at a publisher's or something, maybe you could turn it over to them."

"Well, none of it's really all that good..."

"So we can make it better!" Her smile grew wider. "What do you say?"

Miku's eyes met the other woman's, and she froze up. It was the most charming stare she had seen in her entire life, an entrancing mix of authentic kindness and begging puppy. And it was paired with that voice. And that figure. She sighed, breaking.

"All right, fine. You could... Well, I could maybe bring in a thing or two I did, the more recent works."

Luka's eyes lit up. "Great! I can't wait to see it!"

Miku nodded, forcing a smile. The cappuccino was smooth, but still a little too bitter for her tastes. She wondered how on earth she was going to make those stupid college projects presentable in just one evening.

* * *

It took a considerable amount of courage for Miku to make the chime atop the door jingle its merry, four-note entrance song again the next day, but one way or another, she found it in herself to make the bell sing. She took a big, confident step inside, only to notice Luka wasn't at the counter.

The brown-haired woman who was there instead stared at Miku with a powerful confusion, no doubt induced by the surprised expression she was faced with.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, no," Miku answered, trying to wipe the shock off her face. "Well, I mean, I guess there is, sort of, but, it's not really that big a deal, so maybe if you're busy with something else I don't really even have to bring this up, but still, it's kind of something I'd like to find out, and–"

"Look," the brunette interrupted. "If you have a question, or a problem, or anything, I'm more than happy to help, all right?"

"Sorry," Miku said. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I was wondering where Luka is today. Is she all right?"

"Yeah, she's fine," the brunette said. "She's just come down with a sudden cold, is all." She took a closer look at the younger woman, realization slowly washing over her. "Wait, you're Miku, aren't you?"

The shock immediately snapped back onto Miku's face. "How'd you know that?"

"Oh, let's just say a little birdie likes to talk about you," the woman said. "Okay, a big birdie. A big, tall birdie with hair that I'll never understand how she manages every morning – all right, all right, Luka told me about you."

"Really?" Miku felt like she'd won that journalism prize from fifth grade all over again. "You mean... she actually talks about me?"

"Yup. She said to be on the lookout for you today. I guess she knew you'd be coming by."

"Well, I had a couple of things I was going to give her," Miku explained, reaching into her purse. She rummaged around a few moments, then stopped. "Wait, who were you, again?"

The brunette blinked. "Uh, Luka's partner? You know, the one who does the baking, the banking, and whatever the hell else she can't be bothered to figure out?" She frowned. "What, she never told you about me?"

"Um, I think she might have mentioned you, once," Miku said. "Sorry, what was your name, again?"

The woman pointed to the name tag on her shirt. Miku almost slapped her forehead.

"Meiko," she said, reading it aloud. "Well, uh, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Meiko said, smiling now. "So, you said you had something for Luka?"

"Yes, that's right," Miku said, pulling a folder out of her purse. "She wanted to see a couple of things I wrote, so if you could just pass them along to her..."

"Sure thing," Meiko replied, taking the folder and setting it behind the counter. "I'm sure she'll appreciate this. Luka always loves to have something to read when she's sick."

"I'm glad," Miku said. She frowned. The journalism prize pride was wearing off, and she desperately wanted to rekindle it. "So, Luka really talks about me?"

"Yeah, she really does," Meiko said.

"Was it just once or twice, or...?"

The brunette rolled her eyes, still smiling. "She's been going on about you the past three lunches and dinners. I guess you must've left some kind of impression on her." She rested her hands on the counter. "So, I take it you'll have a mocha cappuccino?"

Miku smiled. "Yes, please."

* * *

"So are you feeling better now?" Miku asked, setting down her mug.

"Much better, thanks," Luka replied. "Really, what I had yesterday wasn't that big a deal. We were just worried about me being contagious, is the thing, and of course we can't really have that when we're serving people food." She laughed. "Don't worry, it's all out of me now. I must've taken half a bottle of NyQuil, I wanted to get better so badly."

"You were that eager to get back to work?"

"A little," Luka said. "But it was mostly just so I wouldn't be sick anymore. It was just a head cold, but I really hate being sick. It's nice to sit in bed and read, sure, but I can do that when I'm well, too, and at least then I won't have to look away from the page to start coughing." She snapped her fingers. "Speaking of which, I gave those stories you left me a look."

"I was afraid of that," Miku chuckled.

"Come on, don't say that! They're a lot better than you think."

Miku looked up from the cappuccino. "Really?"

"Really," Luka said warmly. "That's not to say they're perfect, of course, but I've got a few suggestions for how they could advance, if you'd like to hear them."

"I'd love to," Miku said.

Luka grinned. "Great! How about I bring them around tomorrow? I'll leave some notes with them, if that's all right."

"Sounds great," Miku replied. She swallowed another gulp of the cappuccino, and a thought struck her. She almost didn't want to pay it any attention, it felt so daring, but memory spurred it on, a few inconspicuous words fluttering like a bell in her mind.

_You'll never know how things will work out unless you try._

"Actually," Miku said, "maybe you could just come by my place tonight, once you've closed up? I mean, it'd be easier for you to say what you really mean if you talked about it, right?"

"All right, sure," Luka replied, a hint of surprise on her face. "That makes sense."

Miku sipped another bit of coffee. For courage, for luck. "But, maybe before that we could get some dinner? You know, just the two of us?"

Luka smiled. "It almost sounds like you're asking me out."

Another sip. "Is... that okay with you?"

"More than okay, sweetie."

The mug wasn't even half full, but Miku still almost spilled the liquid inside. She pinched herself under the table and decided it was safe to break out into a smile.

"And yes, I'm still fine with going to your place afterward," Luka finished.

"Sure!" Miku said. "We could have a cup of–" She stopped herself. "Sorry, you're probably sick of coffee, working around it and all."

"Tea's fine by me, too."

Another sip. "I could also show you some of my old poetry. I mean, if you want."

The woman's smile grew a little brighter. "I'd like that."

Miku couldn't wipe the grin off her face no matter how hard she tried. But to be fair, she couldn't make herself try all that hard. She raised her mug to her lips and took a long sip. The cappuccino was creamy, slightly sweet, and very hot, backed by pleasant, bitter sharpness. Warm, smooth, and full.

Just right.

* * *

A/N: A bit of fluff dedicated to a wonderful friend of mine on her birthday. Hope it's a good one, Fliers!

Also, rest assured that I'm still working on all the ongoing stories I've got up right now. Believe me, I don't have any good excuse for dropping anything right now.


End file.
